"It's a problem that we've only found on the Highways Agency network south of junction 9 down to the Almondsbury interchange," explains Highways Agency structural engineer Terry Robinson. "With some sporadic outbreaks along the M4 corridor towards junction 15. "Several years ago we buried some lumps of concrete from the Tredington Ashchurch bridge in a field next to the M5. We had carried out various emergency repairs using different materials but after recovering and assessing the buried concrete we were able to develop an effective repair and replacement programme that would save money."Four bridges were scheduled for repair over an 18 month period with three requiring repair to the affected concrete. However, one bridge required more work. As Highways Agency service delivery team leader Dave Sledge explains, "The work is essential to prolong the life of the bridges. It is a very full programme, but it has been planned very carefully so that we can undertake a number of schemes at the same time, which will significantly reduce the overall disruption."
展开▼
